‼️ Messaging Security Update
On Sunday 26 July 2026, Madeit experienced a coordinated scam targeting our messaging system.
We want to be transparent about what happened, what it means for you, and the steps we've taken to ensure it doesn't happen again.
Did this only happen to Madeit?
Additional Improvements Planned
What should I do if I receive a suspicious message?
What happened?
A scammer created multiple fake customer accounts and sent fraudulent messages to a number of Madeit artisans over a four-hour period.
The messages pretended to be from 'Madeit Support' and claimed a payment needed to be verified. They encouraged sellers to visit a fake website designed to capture personal or payment information.
As soon as we became aware of the attack, messaging was switched off while the issue was investigated and resolved.
Did this only happen to Madeit?
No.
The scam used on Madeit is a well-known phishing tactic that has also been seen on other marketplaces. Rather than exploiting a weakness in Madeit's data security, the scam relied on attempting to trick sellers into voluntarily visiting a fake website and entering their details.
While no online marketplace can guarantee that scammers won't attempt new tactics in the future, we can continue to strengthen our protections, monitor suspicious activity and educate our community.
The improvements we've implemented significantly reduce the likelihood of this type of attack succeeding again, and we'll continue to review and enhance our security as new threats emerge.
Was Madeit hacked?
No.
This was not a data breach or hack of the Madeit platform.
The scammer created legitimate customer accounts and used the messaging feature to send fraudulent messages, similar to phishing scams seen on many online marketplaces.
No artisan account information, passwords or payment details were accessed through Madeit's systems.
What have we done?
Following a full investigation with our development team, several new layers of protection have been implemented.
These include:
- Blocking web links using the complete global list of website domains, preventing previously unknown domain extensions from being used.
- Detecting and blocking repeated scam messages sent to multiple sellers.
- Recording blocked messaging attempts so suspicious activity can be identified much earlier.
- Preventing attackers from learning why a message was blocked.
- Ensuring that if messaging is disabled by the Madeit team, it is completely switched off.
- Limiting new customer accounts to starting conversations with a maximum of three different sellers per day.
- Automatically blocking messages that attempt to impersonate Madeit by using phrases such as 'Madeit Support', 'Madeit Team' or 'Madeit Help'.
Additional improvements planned
We're continuing to strengthen the messaging system.
Future improvements include:
- An easier way for artisans to report suspicious messages.
- Internal monitoring and alerts if unusual messaging activity is detected.
- Additional protections to identify new scam patterns as they emerge.
What should I do if I receive a suspicious message?
If you receive a message that seems unusual:
👉🏽 DO NOT reply: this activates the bots
👉🏽 Never click links asking you to verify payments or account details.
👉🏽 Remember that Madeit will never ask you for passwords, banking information or payment verification through the messaging system.
👉🏽 If you're unsure whether a message is genuine, contact the Madeit team directly before taking any action.
Thank you
We're incredibly grateful to our artisan community for your patience while messaging was temporarily unavailable. Let's continue to keep safe together!
Leina, Bec, Stacey & Sue
